Amazon seeks exemption to test drones outdoors in U.S.

Will we soon be seeing drones bringing Amazon merchandise to a home near you?

Amazon

For those who thought the announcement of using drones for deliveries was simply a publicity stunt by Amazon, according to the Publishers Lunch July 11 issue, the company is sincere about it.

Somehow it is a bit bizarre to picture fleets of Amazon drones flying around delivering books, boxes and heaven knows what else, but Amazon appears to be dead serious. Maybe there will be job openings for drone traffic cops or something of that nature. Who knows. Obviously there will have to be rules and regulations governing flight patterns, perhaps times of day and more. After all, who wants to look up at the friendly skies and see drones circling around like dragonflies? And, if it does come about, what will this mean to the publishing business as we know it?

“After the FAA made it clear in late June that they are still prohibiting commercial uses of drones, Amazon formally applied for an exemption from that regulation. News of that application has sent their stock up over 4 percent in Friday morning trading (almost $15 a share).”

In their letter, Amazon indicated they are experimenting with Prime Air inside their next generation research and development lab in Seattle. “In the past five months, we have made advancements toward the development of highly‐automated aerial vehicles for Prime Air." They write: "Granting Amazon an exemption to allow R&D testing outdoors in the United States is in the public interest because it advances Congress's goal of getting commercial sUAS flying in the United States safely and soon."

If the FTC does grant Amazon an exemption, it does not mean that Amazon drones will be flying down your street;

Amazon claims their drone technology has advanced significantly in a short time;

Their plan is to self-regulate with procedures that exceed current FAA rules for model aircraft;

They plan to use technology to keep their operations safe. The safety software will keep the drone from flying anywhere near an airport;

If the FAA does not grant Amazon’s request to be able to conduct testing, they will move their drone R&D operations out of the U.S.

They wrote: “We have been limited to conducting R&D flights indoors or in other countries. Of course, Amazon would prefer to keep the focus, jobs, and investment of this important research and development initiative in the United States by conducting private research and development operations outdoors near Seattle.”

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MORGAN ST. JAMES writes columns for both the Las Vegas and Los Angeles editions of Examiner.com. She co-authors the comical Silver Sisters Mysteries series which began with the award-winning "A Corpse in the Soup," in 2007. Other books in the series are "Seven Deadly Samovars" and "Vanishing Act in Vegas." A new Silver Sisters adventure is in work. Recent releases of stand-along books include award-winning "Who's Got the Money?", "Confessions of a Cougar," and "The Mafia Funeral and Other Short Stories." All of her books and short stories can be found on Amazon and other online booksellers.
Currently in work with true crime author Dennis N. Griffin, "La Bella Mafia," the true story of Bella Capo, daughter of an organized crime figure who had many encounters with near death but survived to found La Bella Mafia, a help organization for abused women. Release late 2013.
She is a frequent speaker at conferences, writers’ groups, writers’ classes as well as giving motivational speeches for corporate and fraternal groups. Contact her at Write2morgan@aol.com and visit her main website morganstjames-author.com for more information and a menu of workshops and talks.